


Heir Of Nations

by thecattydddy



Series: The Symbols Series [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Superheros, Superstuck, denizen, heir of breath, heros
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-24
Updated: 2014-01-01
Packaged: 2018-01-02 12:52:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1056988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecattydddy/pseuds/thecattydddy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world of monsters and madness, there are those that dedicate their lives to save us.</p><p>There are heros.</p><p>John didn't really know if he could trust the Denizen that shows up on his front door, but when the world is in jeopardy, he must learn to see past this and ally with Typheus in order to save the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> There are rules that must be followed for a Denizen and Human to have a strong enough bond to work together.

Every hero has a story. Every legend has an origin. This one begins in Washington, where a young man – Seventeen years of age – lives with his father, alone. This young man had a name.

It was John. John Egbert.

John was a simple boy. He had some extra curricular interests that most didn't know, care about or particularly like, but he was mostly just a dorky little junior with a couple friends and a general respect from most of the school. He was known for pulling foolproof pranks on the staff in a way that they could never prove it was him who had actually done so. His father encouraged the behaviour as long as it didn’t interrupt his studies, which it would never as John was a straight A student. In short, he had it pretty good in his little home town.

So it was a rather peculiar thing when John picked up a dusty old hard-cover from the shelves of a little book store on the edge of town. It was mostly written in Latin, but John was studied in the language through his class at school and was able to decipher at least some of the book, which actually turned out to be an old fable from a people long since forgotten.

The story told of a realm parallel to ours, one that holds a copy of you capable of far greater things. One that, once combined with its other half, could conquer nations or save worlds.

John grew fascinated with the story and dove further into it, uncovering every variation and spell and volume that was even remotely related to the tale. In all, only six other accounts could be found in all his extensive researching. Only two ever made it to his hands. He only ever got the summary of two more. The others remained a mystery to him.

He came to learn that his copy was in fact sleeping on a distant planet and, upon awakening, would take a portal that connected the two worlds. John found a spell in one book that supposedly woke the other versions, which called themselves Denizen. The spell was a complicated one, but he decided to try it, simply for kicks. Nothing happened that night. Nothing happened that month or the one to follow. In fact, it wasn't until after his 18th birthday that something finally happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here is a story for Super John. I plan on making a couple of these for different characters and then a multi-character story where they all team up. Sound good? It better because you don't much get a choice. 
> 
> I'd love to hear suggestions for what other characters' powers, enemies and plotlines should be, if you think of them, however.


	2. The Heir Is Answered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The Denizen must first reveal themselves when the Human is in danger.

The day was a fairly warm one, but it was humid. April showers had pelted the grounds of Washington for the past three days and this sudden sun spell was more than welcome. John stared longingly towards the window as the sun reflected off the little droplets left on the grass and plant-life.

“John,” his teacher calls, pulling his attention from the window to her. She held a phone in her hand and a confused look on her face, “You didn't leave the room recently, did you?”

“No, Mame,” John shook his head, frowning slightly, “I've been here all set.”

“That's what I told them,” she mumbled, returning to the phone. John turned back to the window. In the distance there stood a figure and he scrunched his eyes, trying to get a good look at them. It was of no use, for when John blinked, they were gone.

He continued to his next class, forgetting all about the figure, which left him ignorant to the one following him. It was about fourth period when someone grabbed his arm and shoved him against the lockers.

“What's the idea, Egbert?” the football jock hissed, glaring daggers at him. John blinked, confused. He hadn't ever had anything but a good record with Jeff the quarterback and this sudden encounter was unexpected.

“I thought you made a pact to keep all the pranks for the staff,” Jeff hissed, “It was them against us. Looks like you're going back on that.”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” John muttered, widening his eyes.

“Like hell you don't,” Jeff returned, “Susie the photographer found her camera full of shaving cream, Somebody re-carved all of Rover's chess pieces and the football was super-glued to the top of the goal post.”

“It wasn't me!” John insisted, “I only have one prank planned today, and its not for any of the student!”

“That shit may work on the teachers,” Jeff raised his fist, “But it ain't gonna work on me. You're gonna regret ever being born when I'm done with you, dickbag.” John turned his head, closing his eyes to prepare for the impact.

“Let him go,” a deep voice said from behind them. It was almost melodic in nature and John couldn’t help but look over to see who his saviour was. He wasn't sure he believed his eyes when they landed on himself, however. This other version of him was much more serious and rugged than his usual self, but it was him – Right down to the Ghostbusters shirt.

“What the...” Jeff turned between the two, looking rather out of the loop, “How did...”

“I can assure you this is no trick of the eye,” the other version of John stated, “Now. Release him.”

“Like hell,” Jeff turned back to John, anger ten times more intense, “You think that your hat tricks are gonna get you out of this? You are so wrong.”

“I said,” the other John raised his hand, his eyes glowing completely white. He swung his hand to the side, “Let him go.” Jeff's fingers loosened their hold on John and he flew to the side, hitting the wall. The other John moved his hand in a circular motion and a hammer appeared, which he wrapped his fingers around as he stepped up to Jeff.

“I suggest you get lost,” other John stated. Jeff simply nodded and booked it.

“Who are you?” John wondered, quietly. The other John turned to him.

“My name is Typheus,” he answered, “You are the one who summoned me, John. I am your Denizen.”


	3. The Father Is Appeased

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2\. The Denizen must have patience, because the Human will first be skeptic and then curious.

“No,” John shook his head, disbelievingly, “You can't be. That was just some silly spell that I did years ago...” 

“You doubt my existence,” Typheus frowned, “Yet here I stand before you.”

“I can't deal with this right, now,” John grumbled, standing to his feet and rubbing his eyes, “I've got somebody pretending to be me and playing pranks on the students. I need to bust them before the football team all gets together to take me down.”

“Hehe,” Typheus chuckled, snapping his hammer from existence, “You've missed so many great opportunities, John. I could not resist.”

“That was _you_ ,” John demanded, “Okay, look. You need to stay as far away from the student body as possible. If you're going to lay a prank on anyone, it has to be a staff member and you can only do it if you will ensure that _neither_ of us will be blamed for it. Kapeesh?”

“You have a lot of friends, John,” Typheus mentioned, “Surely not all of them like you solely for your pranking nature against the teachers?”

“Well, it isn't because of my leadership skills,” John muttered, “That's not important right now, though. I need to get to class before-” He was interrupted by a loud bell, signalling the beginning of class, “Shit.”

“I would believe I come as a priority to you,” Typheus crossed his arms, “Considering I flew all the way here from across the galaxy.”

“What?” John blinked, “Really?”

“Absolutely,” he confirmed, “Skaia is the name of my planet. I reside there with the other Denizen. Most of us had come to believe the legend of the humans to be nothing more of a wives tale. You must understand how startled and confused I was when I got your message. It would be as if you were an atheist and suddenly an angel came to you and said you had to go to the holy lands.”

“Are you calling me an angel?” John raised an eyebrow.

“Not intentionally,” Typheus replied, “I was simply making a comparison using what knowledge I have of Earth culture.”

“It seems like you have an awful lot, considering,” John muttered.

“Well, of course,” Typheus confirmed, “I was very fond of the topic. It was Skaia's equivalent of Atlantis.”

“Well, come on,” John muttered, heading towards the exit to the school, “I need to get you out of here and there is no way I'm getting into my classroom. The teachers always lock the doors. If we hurry I can be back before last period.”

“Hmm,” Typheus lifted off the ground a bit, floating after John.

“Woah,” John said, “How're you doing that.”

“My aspect gives me the ability,” Typheus stated.

“Your what?” John asked.

“Perhaps it is time for you to return to those dusty books of yours, John,” Typheus sighed.

“Yeah. Maybe,” John chuckled. They walked in silence for a few more minutes before John spoke up, again.

“So, do all Denizen actually look like their human counterpart?” John wondered.

“None of them do, actually,” Typheus answered, “We can simply change our shape. We all look rather different, in fact. Personally, I'm more of a torso and head of white with a green serpent's tail.”

“That's kind of weird,” John informed.

“Says the hairless ape,” Typheus returned. They finally reached John's house and he unlocked the door, signalling Typheus to remain quiet. He shut the door as quietly as he could and was just about to ascend the stairs when a voice yelled out to him.

“JOHN.”

“Damnit,” John grumbled, shamefully going back down the stairs and towards the kitchen, “Stay here.”

“Alright,” Typheus nodded. John slunk into the kitchen, where his father stood, arms crossed, spatula in his hand. John had shot up a few years ago and was now slightly taller than his father, but that didn't keep the old man from being very intimidating.

“Why aren't you in school?” he demanded.

“Um, they let me out early?” John tried.

“Don't you lie to me, young man,” his father frowned.

“Okay, they didn't, but I just forgot something and ran home to get it,” John revised, “During my lunch period.”

“Jonathan Jacob Egbert,” his father scowled.

“Oh, come on, Dad,” John whined, “It's not like you're going to believe me!”

“Try me.”

“Okay...” John took a deep breath, “Remember that old book I was interested in a few years ago? The one with the spell that you helped me with?”

“What about it?” his father inquired.

“Well, it worked,” John explained, “My Denizen showed up at my school today and rescued me from being beaten to a pulp by Jeff Brodrickson. His name is Typheus. I brought him home because it would be really confusing if there were two of me wandering the halls.”

“Is he in the living room?” his father asked, and John nodded, “TYPHEUS.”

“Oh shit,” Typheus muttered, staring towards the kitchen with concern. He contemplated running up the stairs.

“DONT EVEN THINK ABOUT RUNNING OFF. GET IN HERE,” John's dad added. Typheus sighed and floated into the kitchen, a guilty look on his face.

“Uh... Hi,” he waved.

“You can't sneak into someone's house without introducing yourself, young man,” John's father reprimanded, “Now. I'm John's father. You can call me Dad.”

“Uh... Father. That's one of the genetic parents, right?” Typheus questioned, “Uh... Hey, Dad. My name's Typheus Aphrodite Gaiason. Typheus for short. I'm your son's Denizen.”

“Excellent,” Dad smiled, “Now, who wants some cake?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dad will forever be written like this I don't even care.


	4. The Ability Is Aquired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3\. The Denizen mustn’t give the human all the answers.

Bar from a call from the school, in which Dad easily crafted a hoax to convince them that John had never been at school at all that day, the afternoon went by fairly smoothly. Dad stayed in the kitchen, baking, and John and Typheus were in his room, pouring over some books with broken bindings and swirly, handwritten text within.

“Here we go!” John grinned, excitedly, getting into a new position so he could read the passage he found aloud, “The aspects of the Denizen are abilities granted upon them to interact with the worlds – known or otherwise. Although each Denizen's abilities and powers are unique to them, there are twelve main aspects in which a Denizen's power could be attributed and several abnormality cases, though those are rare at that. The main known aspects are Space, Time, Hope, Life, Doom, Heart, Rage, Blood, Light, Void, Mind and Breath. Some other rarer aspects known in the past are Fire, Fate, Technology, Lips, Piss, Sugar and Terrors.”

“And what do you think my aspect is, John?” Typheus inquired, calmly.

“I don't know,” John shrugged.

“I'm not going to give you all the answers, John,” Typheus stated, “You will need to be able to do a few things for yourself. It's an easy one if you think about it.”

“Um... Space, maybe? 'Cuz, you know, you can float,” John offered. Typheus shook his head.

“Alrighty, then... maybe some rarer aspect like... Floating or something,” John suggested.

“You are very caught up on this small detail,” Typheus frowned, confused, “Especially considering you accepted my existence in general rather quickly.”

“It's just cool, okay? I want to be able to do that,” John muttered.

“And you will,” Typheus assured, “But you will need to focus.”

“Wait, really?” John grinned, “Oh, okay... You're probably a... Breath type? Like, because of wind and air and stuff. I mean you pushed Jeff with seemingly nothing at all and wind can be pretty powerful in like hurricanes and tornadoes and stuff, so maybe focusing some of that power would make it possible to, like, lift yourself up from the ground.”

“Correct,” Typheus nodded, smiling slightly, “Excellent job, John.”

“I'm really interested in all this stuff,” John stated, “Your powers and abilities are so cool. I don't see myself ever doing them, though.”

“Humans,” he rolled his eyes, “John, listen to me. Our power is a shared one. Our very existence is intertwined. Anything I can do simply lies dormant in yourself. There is even more ability that lays dormant until we can work together as one connected entity instead of a high school boy and a denizen far from home.”

“Well, I'm not scared of anything you throw my way,” John insisted, sticking his chest out, proudly.

“That's an excellent mentality to have, John,” Typheus approved, “Now the trick is to keep it the entire time.”

“Are you saying I'm gonna chicken out?” John demanded, crossing his arms.

“I never said those exact words,” Typheus replied,truthfully, “Whether or not I implied that is for you to decide.”

“You didn't deny it,” John pointed out.

Typheus chuckled, “You're right. I didn't.”

The months passed by rather slowly as far as John's training went. It began with little things, small movement of the wind, pushing objects on the other side of the room and the like. John's first definite success came around mid-December. As per usual, John and Typheus were in the back yard, practising his abilities. John was bundled up in three sweaters and a winter coat, but it still didn't help against the chill.

“How are you not getting hypothermia?” John demanded, catching sight of Typheus in nothing but a t-shirt and jeans.

“It's an adaptation acquired by those with Breath aspects over time,” Typheus answered, “To be unaffected by the cold gives us an advantage over free lance aspect collectors or other types. Our attacks are more useful that way... And the pranking that comes out of it is hilarious.”

“I'd bet,” John laughed, “But, unfortunately, I don't have this ability, so maybe we should go in now.”

“John...” Typheus paused, giving him a strange look, “Do you... Actually feel cold? You are certain that it is what you are experiencing?”

“Of course I am!” John insisted, “Why else would I wear this many layers? It's not because they're fashionable!”

“Perhaps you just feel as if you should be,” Typheus answered, “Try not being cold.”

“You can't just not feel cold,” John stated, “It doesn't work like that!”

“Trust me,” Typheus said. John frowned, closing his eyes and trying not to shiver in the cold atmosphere.

“You're think about this too much,” Typheus frowned, “Relax, John. Let the cold become a part of you.”

“Okay...” John murmured, relaxing his shoulders a bit. As if by magic, the feeling in his toes came back to him and the sharpness of the wind was no longer freezing – It simply became a part of him, weaving in and out of him as if it always had done this. John opened his eyes, slowly, think perhaps it was a really cool dream that he might wake up from if he wasn't careful.

“Well?” Typheus asked, to which a smile broke onto John's face.

“I did it!” John grinned, “I can't feel the cold!”

“Perhaps this was our problem all along, John,” Typheus suggested, “Now that you no longer are fighting with your aspect, maybe you can finally utilize it.”

“Maybe!” John agreed with renewed vigour, “This is going to be really cool, Typheus!” He simply smiled, softly, as John jumped back into his practices.

Months began to pass and as they did, John's abilities increased. Slight wind changes and breezes became full blown powers. Floating and small tornadoes were second nature to him. John's nineteenth birthday rolled around and he celebrated it with Typheus and his father, getting way too much cake and a story as gifts. It started out so nice.

It was about midday and he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. Typheus walked on the ground beside him, looking over his shoulder every once in a while, only adding to John's susicion. He was just about to brush it off, when a blast sent him backwards, knocking him over. A blinding light blocked his vision and he could only just make out a silhouette.

Just like that, the light faded, revealing the figure in a much more observable nature. It was a female, he realised, with dark hair that trailed down her back. A t-shirt and a unbuttoned button-down hung from her torso. One of her arms were mechanic and her shoes were an obnoxious red color. She wore a pair of glasses resting on her face.

“ _Finally_!” She grinned, making John's stomach drop as she towered over him, “I was beginning to think we'd _never_ find you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is it John ran into? Make a wild guess!


	5. The Proposal Is Accepted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 4\. A denizen must not rise above the humans. Even as their teachers, they are still their servants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while since I updated, but I just wanted to get the name of the mysterious person out. I'm sure most of you guessed it, but... Here she is, none the less. ;)

"Wh-who are you?" John blinked, staring up at the girl towering above her. She stuck out her hand to help him up, a grin spread across her face. Some of her teeth were turned in a manner that made them look pointed, almost as if they were fangs. John took her outstretched hand and allowed her to pull him into a standing positions. She casually leaned on one hip, palm resting on her waist. Behind her stood another girl who look almost exactly identical, bar for the stance which held more of an air of superiority and her hair, which was neatly tied back to keep it out of her face.

"You can call me Vriska Serket," she answered, "Best damn aspect holder there ever was. Let me just tell you, Cetus here thought she heard another one show up, but I was about to call her a lie before we found you! You saved her hide, pal."

"How come you didn't know there were more Denizen, Typheus?" John turned to him.

"A Denizen can only sense when one arrives after them, not before," the other Vriska, who John assumed must be Cetus, explained, "Most do not ever interfere with one another, however Vriska was insistent."

"You shut up now, Cetus. Before you start sounding like my obnoxious sister," Vriska waved her away, keeping a predatory eye on John.

"Yes, mistress."

"So tell me," Vriska continued, "You got a name?"

"John," he nodded, smiling a little and offering his hand to shake, "John Egbert. It's nice to meet you now that I know you don't plan to kill me, Vriska." He laughed and she took his hand, smirking back.

"Don't worry, John," Vriska explained, "I'm here to help you reach your full potential! I'm gonna teach you all you need to know about your aspect and your powers!"

"That sounds great!" John exclaimed, "Typheus here has been helping me and-"

"Your Denizen?" Vriska frowned, pushing her hair back and readjusting the jacket on her shoulders, "Trust me when I tell you those things have no idea what they're talking about. You just need them for the end process. Once you bond, they're not even going to mean anything, anyways."

"What?" John blinked, confused.

"Yeah, didn't he tell me?" Vriska asked, "Denizen... They have to die in order for you to reach your full potential. You just have to be ready to equipt it, that's all."

"No... He didn't tell me that," John frowned.

"Oh. Well, it's true," Vriska shrugged, "Anyways, you should probably get going, but me and Cetus will be at your house bright and early tomorrow, so be ready!" She turned to walk away, but John called after her.

"Wait don't you need my address?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Nah! Now that we know what we're looking for, it's gonna be a whole lot easier to find you and those big teeth of yours, John! See ya later!" She waved her goodbyes, laughing as John covered his mouth, slightly embarassed.

"She seems... Charming," Typheus growled.

"Is it true?" John turned to him, frowning slightly, "About you having to die?"

"I'm afraid so, John," he nodded, "Come along. I will explain when we reach home."


End file.
